Known child containment devices, playpens, portable cribs, playards, and other similar products tend to be difficult to transport and disassemble. These difficulties can be enhanced by the variety and number of accessories and options that may be attached or utilized with these products. Playards and other similar products in this category often include one or more features or accessories such as a bassinet, elevated infant sleep area and/or an infant changing table or surface. These features or accessories, while providing for additional versatility and customization, add weight and complexity to the product and further limit portability.
Child containment devices, playpens, portable cribs and playards often utilize a conventional mattress pad that incorporates a structure comprising a plurality of panels made from a sturdy but heavy material. Each of the panels, in turn, are sewn into the fabric mattress cover and separated by a fabric seam. This construction, while durable, prevents removal of the panels and can be heavy. On many of these types of units, the mattress can fold to surround the exterior of the collapsed frame assembly of the product and in this way is portable with the unit. The relatively heavy mattress adds additional weight to the portable unit.
Construction of a mattress pad involves selection of an outer fabric layer of material based on decoration, durability, wear resistance, stain resistance, comfort, and the like. A pad or cushion material is provided beneath the outer layer and is supported by a base or structural material. While this construction may help sustain the individual panels in a substantially flat and planar condition, the mattress pad as a whole can flex and bends along the flexible seam resulting in an irregular and non-flat mattress surface.